<p>My kid just got into Cal Poly SLO and was wondering if he should apply to the Honors Program. He was also admitted to the Honors Colleges at other schools in California and the most important benefit is priority registration status. Due to the budget crisis it is critically important to have this if you plan to graduate on time. Cal Poly SLO is one of, if not the most, impacted school in the state. Does anyone know if the Honors Program at Cal Poly SLO offers priority registration to its students?</p>
<p>My daughter was accepted into the honors program last year. Overall, it has been a disappointment. She took the introductory honors seminar in the fall and enjoyed that. However, they don’t have enough honors classes and she will end her freshman year having never taken a single honors class. They were either full or so limited she could not fit one in her schedule. She is not very happy about that. Since they have requirements for taking classes to stay in the program I don’t know if she’ll even stay in the program. </p>
<p>Also, I don’t think there is any registration preference for the honors program. Cal Poly gives registration preference to students involved in school-related activities that must be worked around class scheduling such as athletics, band, student government and ROTC.</p>
<p>This was very helpful. If there is no priority registration available for the Honors Program then it may not be worth it.</p>
<p>From what I have heard from some Honors Program students I would say the Honors Program is not worth the effort. You do not get 'Priority Registration". And the Honors Classes do not count for any more than a “normal” class as far as GPA calculations. In other words , an “A” in an Honors Class is not worth more than an “A” in a non-honors class. Also, there seem to be a lot of 'Leadership", and touchy-feely courses required for the Honors Program. I guess if that is your sort of thing, then it is OK
The only advantage to the Honors Program is that it shows on your transcript that you were in the Honors Program. Check me on that one but I believe that is correct. In my opinion, just take the usual courses, get good grades and shoot for Honors upon graduation. Magna, Summa…all those cum laudes. And you will be fine.</p>
<p>Wait, band gets priority registration? May I ask, which band? None of my preforming ensembles (yes, two of them) give me anything in terms registration priority. Heck, one of them doesn’t even give me credit anymore! I’ve never heard of any band giving any sort of registration priority. Not even for the music majors (although it’s not like their major classes are scheduled on top of rehearsal anyways). Please check your sources… </p>
<p>Signed,
String Player</p>
<p>PS: Yes, honors is somewhat useless. It’s just an additional GPA requirement and some special sections of certain GEs. Personally, I wish they’d just scrap it and take the program administrators and make them teach. A few more sections of these GEs would be a whole lot more useful than some honors program that no one really cares about. </p>
<p>:wq!</p>
<p>Much appreciated. If there is no priority registration, I think that we will skip the Honors Program route. Having “Honors” on the transcript is not important to him at all. If there are no other more practical benefits, I am sure that he will want to just blend in with the rest of the student body. Engineering alone will be challenging enough.</p>
<p>The one benefit that might make it worthwhile is getting into Cerro Vista apartments, where there are KITCHENS you can use, so you won’t have to eat the bad food all the time. Still have to buy a meal plan, though. :-(</p>
<p>I am an honors student at Cal Poly. Unfortunately, no priority reg. All they require is that you maintain a certain GPA and take 8 HNRS courses before graduating. However, those honors credits are beyond easy to get…studying abroad can count as a credit, and so can an internship. It’s easy to stay in the program, and the honors classes are a lot of fun…they’re small and discussion oriented. Let me know if you have other questions!</p>
<p>I was invited to apply for the honors program this year but am still on the fence determining whether it is worth it or not. I know about the 8 honors courses required before graduation, but am still wondering what the main difference is between the reg vs. the honors courses? Is there a much different course load or are the classes smaller?</p>
<p>Wow, that’s a change. Just a few months ago, the Poly web site said the honors program was being shut down.</p>
<p>The top 6% of admitted students that are attending Cal Poly were invited to apply to the honors program this year.</p>
<p>I saw that on their web page. How do they determine the top 6%?</p>